Final Environmental Impact Statement

Vestal Final Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 3
detected hibernating at the Ventling mine. This site most likely serves as a day/night
roost site for this species. Other abandoned mine sites within or around the project area
most likely also provide hibernation and roosting habitat.
Black-tailed Prairie Dog (R2 Sensitive Species)
Suitable prairie dog habitat on the Black Hills National Forest is limited to non-rocky
grassland soils on the Hell Canyon RD. In 2005, there were approximately 400 acres of
prairie dog towns on the Forest consisting of about 10 active colonies (USDA Forest
Service 2009). The colonies are comparatively small and disjunct from adjacent known
colonies. Prairie dog towns on the Forest have remained stable or have increased despite
recreational shooting and disease. All of the prairie dog towns occur within grazing
allotments (District records). Black-tailed prairie dogs are found to be more abundant in
heavily grazed areas than in un-grazed areas in the Black Hills of southwestern South
Dakota.
In South Dakota the black-tailed prairie dog’s range includes most all western counties
(Higgins et al. 2000).
There is an active, small prairie dog town (031303-36; Glen Erin) in the project area.
This area was mapped in 2011, and is 9.3 acres.
Mountain Sucker (R2 Sensitive Species, MIS)
The mountain sucker occurs most often in cool, clear mountain streams with moderate
water velocities. Stream substrate associated with mountain sucker habitat varies widely
and ranges from mud to sand, gravel and boulders, although cobbles are most common.
This species is found on the stream bottom and is closely associated with cover (exposed
roots, undercut banks, log jams and boulders). Mountain suckers are benthic feeders and
their diet is primarily simple plants like diatoms and green algae, but small invertebrates
are also ingested. Spawning occurs in the spring, but the exact timing varies by elevation
and water temperature. In the Black Hills, the spawning period for mountain suckers is
probably June and maybe early July (Shearer personal communication, 2006). This
species is an open substrate spawner (broadcast spawner), meaning it does not build or
defend a nest or redd. The incubation period of mountain sucker embryos is thought to be
short, around 8 to 14 days (Belica & Nibbelink 2006).
The status of the mountain sucker in the Rocky Mountain Region and the Black Hills was
assessed by Belica and Nibbelink (2006) and Isaak et al. (2003), respectively. Mountain
suckers are native to the Black Hills and comprise the eastern-most range of the species.
Recent surveys suggest mountain suckers occur in many of its historic drainages
throughout the Black Hills (Isaak et al. 2003), but localized population reductions or
absence at selected sites has occurred (USDA Forest Service 2010).
The mountain sucker historically occurred in French Creek. The first recorded occurrence
was in 1893 at Custer, SD (Evermann & Cox 1896). Stream surveys in French Creek in
1960 found mountain suckers downstream of Stockade Lake/Dam (Stewart & Thilenius
1964). French Creek upstream of Stockade Lake was not surveyed. Surveys in 1984 and
1992-93 captured mountain suckers in French Creek downstream of Stockade Lake, but
not upstream of the lake (Ford 1988, SDGFP 2009). SDGFP fisheries surveys in 2009 in
streams within the Vestal project area did not collect any mountain suckers.
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